Rev. Andrew M. Greeley to launch Rossi lecture series
The Rev. Andrew M. Greeley, priest, author, journalist, sociologist, and influential Catholic commentator and scholar, will give a talk titled, “The Great American Prayer Scandal: Why Americans Pray,” on Thursday, Oct. 18 at 4 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center lobby.
The talk inaugurates the annual Alice S. and Peter H. Rossi Lecture, honoring the two former Distinguished Professors in the Department of Sociology.
Greeley, who was a student of the late Peter Rossi, is one of the most influential contemporary Catholic thinkers and writers. A professor of sociology at the University of Arizona and a research associate with the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, he is often called a “Renaissance priest” and is a respected scholar whose current research focuses on the sociology of religion of our time.
His recent books include, “The Truth About Conservative Christians: What They Think and What They Believe,” a study of conservative Protestants; “The Catholic Revolution: New Wine in Old Wineskins, and the Second Vatican Council Now;” and “Priests: A Calling in Crisis,” an analysis of priestly sexual abuse. His most recent novel, “The Priest and the Senator,” deals with the corrosive political culture and its negative impact on America.
Greeley is the author of more than 50 best-selling novels and more than 100 works of nonfiction. Greeley writes a regular newspaper column for the Chicago Sun-Times and often is published in other newspapers. He is also a frequent contributor to The New York Times, the National Catholic Reporter, America and Commonweal. Greeley is interviewed regularly on national radio and television. He has also authored hundreds of articles on sociological topics, ranging from school desegregation to elder sex to politics and the environment. His articles appear in a broad cross-section of scholarly publications. Greeley’s writing has been translated into 12 languages.
The talk honors the late Peter H. Rossi and his wife, Alice S. Rossi. Peter was the Stuart A. Rice Professor and Alice, the Harriet Martineau Professor of Sociology.
Nationally, both were elected president of the American Sociological Association, and both received the association’s highest award for distinguished scholarship. The burgeoning field of evaluation research now honors its annual exemplar with the Peter H. Rossi Award. Alice Rossi was recently celebrated as one of two surviving founders of the National Organization for Women.
The series will alternate the honorees, focusing on Peter Rossi one year and Alice Rossi the next. The lecturers will be prominent academic and public figures drawn from across the country and the world. Each speaker will be renowned for pursuing one or more of the honoree’s interests. During a typical two-day visit, the Rossi lecturer will give a public all-campus lecture and a departmental seminar on work in progress for faculty and graduate students, visit an undergraduate class, and will be available for informal meetings and social gatherings.
October 11, 2007.
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